Match-splint machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

R. F. GUSTINE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MATCH-SPLINT MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,660, dated April 12, 1853.

To al whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, R. F. GUsTINE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Splitting Blocks of food into Splints for Matches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- Figure l, represents a view in perspective of said machine, Fig. Q, represents a vertical longitudinal section through the same, showing the position of the block to form the splints during the operation of cutting, and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 represent views in perspective of the block in various stages of the operation of riving or splitting it into splints.

In splitting blocks of wood into splints for matches it is in general desirable that the splints should not be totally severed and fall into a heap in promiscuous order, because they could not in this state have their ends dipped into sulfur, or into the explosive composition for igniting the sulfur, without first being assorted and arranged by hand, which is both tedious and an eX- pensive operation, for the avoidance of which several things have been contrived, the cheapest and most efficient of which is to give one end of the block a coating of some elastic varnish, as glue, for example, which will act like an integument to hold the splints together after the block has been split by a knife entering its unvarnished end; this keeps the splints together at one end with their opposite ends all arranged evenly and conveniently for dipping. As the block when riven into splints in this manner has its parts separated at the unvarnished end by the kerfs, incisions, or cuts, made by the knife on the four sides of each splint, while the varnished end of the block remains as compact as before being split, it follows, that if the block be unconfined its splints will arrange themselves in diverging lines in the manner of a fan so that the top or unvarnished end of the block will become conveX and the under or varnished end concave, resembling a section cut from the shell of a hollow sphere. If the block should be firmly clamped upon a flat surface while being cut to prevent the spreading apart of the free ends of the splints, it is plain that the knife could only penetrate the block by compressing its fibers, which would powerfully resist its entrance, and when it has entered, the fibers would compress it so tightly that it would require a strong pull to withdraw it again, and the knife would only split the block as -far as it penetrates it, and would divide it into splints by a'cut rather than a. split. Such a mode of operating as this would strain the knife and often break it. and requires a vastly increased amount of power to perform it beyond what would be required if the splints were free to spread apart at their unvarnished or outer extremities as fast as they are riven.

The object of my invention is to obviate the difculties above mentioned that eXist in machines heretofore constructed for splitting matches, in which the block is clamped upon a flat surface, and it consists, in splitting the block while supported on a convex surface or rest, by means of a knife acting in the line of the radii of the convex rest, the grain of the wo-od in the line in which the split is required to be made, coinciding with the radii of the rest in which the knife works, the curvature of the rest permitting the free ends of the splints to separate without obstruction whenever the knife penetrates the block, so that the splitting will be effected with facility and with the expenditure of a small amount of power.

The machine represented in the accompanying drawings, consists of a strong frame composed of two parts, the lowermost of which (A) is horizontal and the other (B) vertical, and erected upon the lower near one end thereof, a reciprocating knife (C), to split the blocks of wood into splints, a feeding belt (D) to convey the blocks to be split beneath the knife, pressure rollers (E E2) to hold the block firmly upon the belt while being split, together with suitable mechanism for actuating the machin-e, and connecting it with the motive power. The base or lower portion (A) of the frame is a strong bench supported on four legs. The gallo-ws frame which supports the knife is erected upon the base frame and stands at right-angles therewith. These two parts of the frame in addition to being strong, should also be iirmly joined in order that each may rigidly maintain its position. The knife (C) is supported between the posts of the gallows frame (B) on a gate or stock (C1) that slides up and down in vertical guides (a) on the inner sides of the posts. The knife stock has a vertical alternating motion imparted to it by means of a crank (b) on the crank shaft (c), the crank and stock being connected by means of an adjustable link-rod (F), composed of two parts (CZ and all), which screw together in such manner that the rod can be lengthened or shortened, so as to allow the knife, at each stroke, to approach wi thin a greater or less distance of the rest, that it may penetrate the block (o) to be split to a greater or less depth. The method of adjusting the connecting rod (F) represented in the drawing requires whenever its length is to be changed, that one of its ends should be disconnected from the crank, or the knife stock, in order that it may be turned to screw it in one direction or the other, as it is to be shortened or lengthened; but a screw-buckle might be used to connect the two part-s of the rod, by turning which the rod could have its length varied without being separated from the crank or stock.

The crank shaft has a balance wheel (S) mounted on one end to equalize its motion, and on the other end a pinion (f) is tted that gears into and receives motion from a wheel (g), which motion is communicated to the crank, and through the latter is transmitted to the knife. The wheel (g), is either turned by hand by means of a winch, or is actuated by steam, water, or other power.

The blade of the knife is a thin oblong plate of steel, secured to the lo-wer end of the stock with the line of its cutting edge at right angles to the sides, and parallel to the top of the feeding belt. It projects far enough below the end of the stock to allow it to penetrate the splint block to the greatest depth required, without bringing the top of the block and the lower end of the stock into contact. The knife is sharpened by beveling it off on one side in the manner in which joiners chisels are usually sharpened, and the straight side when in operation is always adjacent to the unsplit portion of the block. The knife thus arranged receives a rapid reciprocating motion, and at each stroke penetrates the block of wood placed beneath it, and splits therefrom a narrow strip throughout its entire width. In order that this effect may be produced, it is necessary that during the interval between raising the knife outI of the block and its descent thereon again, the block should be fed forward a distance equal to the required width of the strip to be cut, so that the incision made by one stroke of the knife, may be in advance of the line in which it descends to make the neXt incision exactly the thickness of the strip to be split off.

After a block has been split by a series of parallel incisions of the knife, into a series of thin slabs as shown in Figs. 3, 4C, and 5, it is neXt passed beneath the knife in a direction at right angles to that in which it previously passed, and by a repetition of the alternate feeding and splitting before described, the series of slabs formed by the first cut are each subdivided into a series of rectangular splints as represented in F ig. l. The blocks of wood are fed under the knife by means of a strong belt (D), stretched around two rollers j) arranged across the base frame (A), and having bearings in the sides thereof. rl`he rear roller has sliding bearings adjustable by wedges, so as to cause the two rollers to diverge to stretch the belt. The rest to support the block while being cut, consists of the front roller (z') and a table (k), the latter extending across the frame in such manner that its upper surface is tangentto the upper part of the periphery of the roller, and at right angles to the plane of motion of the knife. The belt passes over this table and the roller, and is consequently interposed between them and the block, therefore, whenever the belt moves the block will be carried forward with it. The unsplit portion of each block will lieover the table (7c), and the highest part of the periphery of the roller (i), but as fast as the split portion of the blockis moved forward, it passes over the descending surface of the roller, which allows the free ends of the split portions or those farthest from the belt, to spread apart to allow the knife to penetrate the wood freely. The intermittent motion which this belt requires to feed the block properly, is communicated to it by the front roller (i), which has a ratchet wheel (m) mounted on one of its ends, into which va pawl (n) takes, that hangs down from a lever (p), to the front end of which it is jointed. A bent spring (g) is attached to the front end of the lever (p), and bears upon the pawl in such manner, as to keep it in gear with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and to raise it and the front extremity of the lever (p), and depresses the rear end of the lever upon a pin (1), which projects from the inside of the post of the gallows frame (B), to which the lever is pivoted.

The pin (1") may be raised or lowered, so as to regulate the range of motion of the lever and pawl, and consequently to regulate the rate of the feed, in order that splints of different sizes may be made. When the knife stock rises to near the upper extremity of its stroke, it strikes the rear end of the lever (p) and suddenly raises it, which depresses its front end, and carries down the pawl, which being in gear with the ratchet wheel, will turn the same the distance required to feed the block forward the thickness of a splint. The moment the stock (C1) descends, the spring (g) will instantly cause the pawl (n), and lever (p), to assume the position required to move the feed belt the next time the knife stock rises.

The blocks are short quadrangular sections of planks or sticks of wood, white pine, being deemed the best for the purpose. They are placed on the rear end of the upper portion of the feeding belt, and by it carried forward to the knife. The blocks are held upon the belt over the rest both before and behind the knife by pressure rollers, the

rear roller or that which acts upon the unsplit portion of the block being held down by a spring or weight, so as to act with suflicient force to hold the block firmly. Less pressure is required by the front roller, as its office is merely to bend the split portions of the block forward and downward, so as to separate the ends of the slabs, or splints, as the case may be, from the unsplit portion of the block, that the knife may penetrate the block and split it without being bound by the pressure of the split portion of the wood upon its sides.

The pressure rollers are mounted at each end in bars that slide in guides formed in brackets (t), that project from each side of the guides (a), in which the knife stock slides, each sliding bar, and consequently each end of either roller is free to rise to adapt its position to the configuration of the block. In splitting free-rifting blocks, the knife must not descend as low as if the wood was tough, because there would be danger o-f severing the lower varnished ends of the splint-s. To avoid this result, the depth to which the knife shall be allowed to penetrate the block, must be determined by trial on the different qualities of wood, for, while on the one hand the entire separation of the splints is to be avoided, it is at the same time desirable that the knife should penetrate the block as low as possible, so as to insure the thorough splitting of the splints, because, if they are not completely split apart, so that in using the matches they can be easily separated, their value will be greatly impaired, and this defect may exist to such an extent that they would even be valueless. All this is provided for by the adjustability of the connecting rod that links the knife stockY and crank together.

It is plain that any other feed might be substituted for the belt, and that various ways may be adopted to give the rest a convex surface, or rather to cause it to descend from the line at which the knife acts to allow the outer ends of the slabs or splints to diverge from the block; but these modications are too obvious to need a particular description here.

Vhen the block has nearly passed through the machine the tendency of its upper portion is to hang against the pressure roller while its base is fed forward with the belt, thereby causing a slight irregularity in the thickness of the splints toward t-he end of the block. To remedy this the next block must be placed against the first before it is finished, thereby causing both to pass on beneath the pressure roller as if they were a continuous block.

In cutting winding blocks or those with a winding grain, the knife is liable to turn the block on the belt in the direct-ion of the wind, and thereby cause irregular splitting of the block, to obviate which, the belt may be provided near its edges with a row of tacks, having sharp points projecting from its upper surface suiicient to enter the block, and thereby insure such connection with the belt as to prevent it from twisting under the action of the knife. To prevent the tacks from working loose the flat heads thereof may be covered with a piece of canvas confined to the underside of the belt by stitching, cement, or otherwise. I have mentioned this as one of the modes in which teeth may be conveniently formed on, or secured to the belt, but the constructor is at liberty to adopt any one of the Inany known modes of arming a belt with teeth for the purpose aforesaid.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the reciprocating knife with a convex or protuberant rest, and feeding and holding mechanism, and the pressure roller E in any equivalent there-for for the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my naine.

REUBEN F. GUSTINE.

Witnesses THOMAS GoWINs, AMMON MooN. 

